The Water Witch
by DAxilla
Summary: J/7 - Voyager is home and Janeway is feeling lost. Until an unexpected rain shower helps her to clear her head and her heart! Written for cygirl1's lovely pulp cover. Femslash - Don't like it? Don't read it!


_**STAR TREK: VOYAGER**_

**"The Water Witch"**

An Original J/7 Voyager Story

Ó2007 by Patricia L. Givens

December 2007

**Disclaimer #1:**This story is an original work of fiction set in the pre-existing universe of Star Trek: Voyager. As such, many of the characters and references used within belong solely to Paramount Pictures. I have borrowed them for the purpose of creating this scenario and promise to return them unscathed, and smiling, as soon as I am done. No gain, monetary or otherwise, is expected from their use and no copyright infringement is intended or should be inferred.

**Disclaimer #2:**All original characters and storylines contained herein belong to the author. (Like anyone else would claim them! J ) This story may be archived upon request with the stipulation that it must be posted exactly as it was written, with all disclaimers intact.

**Disclaimer #3:**This story does depict a romantic relationship between two women and it will probably be graphic cuz I iz in da ready room pervin on dem both. If this bothers you then that means I wrote it correctly and if you tell me it bothers you I will simply throw things at your head until you go away. If you are under 18 then take notes. If this is illegal where you are then maybe Kentucky isn't the right place for you.

**Who To Blame:**Thanks must go out to Ky, for putting up with me when I tell her to fuck off. Thanks to Andrea and Annie for pointing out when I disappear for too long.

This story is dedicated to cygirl1 – for everything she does for all of us every day of the year. She has done several pulp covers based on my stories, so this time I am doing a story based on her pulp cover "Water Witch".

No Borg implants rusted during the writing of this story however it was not from Janeway's lack of trying…

To all that makes us unique!

DAx /\

* * *

**  
_"Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness_**

_**has never danced in the rain"**_

Kathryn Janeway sat on the front porch of her Indiana farm house and stared out across the fields leading away towards the hills in the distance. Her hands were wrapped around a well worn steel coffee mug, one of the many things she had brought home with her when Voyager had finally returned to Earth three months earlier. At the moment it was filled to the brim with coffee too hot to drink.

She thought it suited her mood perfectly. Strong and bitter.

Their arrival had been met with all the fanfare anyone could have ever asked for. There had been promotions and award ceremonies followed by long deserved furloughs for everyone she had considered family and friends for so many years.

She had declined Starfleet's offer of an Admirals position, along with the desk job that came with it. Instead she had hung on to the four precious bits of brass she had held so dear all the years she had been lost out in the Delta Quadrant.

The problem was, once her crew had scattered to the winds, the pips had started to resemble little more than what they were. A title. A rank. A word before her name, it was a famous name, most assuredly, but still just a name.

And without the people she had spent nearly the last decade safeguarding, they didn't seem to carry the same weight within her palm.

Oh she still loved Starfleet. She still loved being a Captain. But the idea of accepting another commission, with a new crew staring at her like some dime store heroine out of a trade paperback… that part wasn't so appealing.

Never get too close.

Those were words that were pounded into every officer on the command track. Never get too close, never care too much… never let them in.

But she had.

As hard as she had tried to fight it, as much as she had fought to keep the command mask in place the whole time she was on Voyager, they got in.

Every single one of them.

She had stopped looking at them as just her responsibility, as just a crew, a part of the machine. They had become her family and she missed them with an ache more profound than she had ever thought possible.

One of them in particular.

Blinking hard to hold back the tears, she brought the mug to her mouth and drank deeply, relishing the burning liquid as it slid down her throat to scald her insides.

Physical pain was nothing. It was simply the body's way of telling you what to fear and why. It could be sublimated, conquered, vanquished.

But this endless ache… this… overwhelming feeling of loss… that was something else entirely.

Not that it was new to her.

Her life had been an endless series of losses. Her father, Justin, and then finally Mark, the one she thought she would be able to count on to be here for her when she returned.

Shaking her head she realized she wasn't being very honest with herself. Daddy and Justin… those had been true losses. Mark's betrayal had paled in comparison. He simply hadn't had enough faith and the truth was, she had lost faith in their relationship probably a lot sooner than he had, she just hadn't wanted to realize it.

And when had that happened?

She leaned back in the porch swing and drew her legs up beneath her, her gaze becoming distant as the landscape faded away to show her the image imprinted on her heart.

Blue eyes, bright as the Indiana sky, so deep that sometimes she thought she might drown in them, if she stared too long. They were followed by full, red pouting lips, bowlike and perfect against the creamy alabaster skin that made up the face of her angel.

Kathryn snorted. What was this romantic twaddle? **_I'm getting old._** She sighed to herself, realizing that she had seemed to age exponentially since her return to Earth. It was like she was some flower withering away without sunlight to nourish it.

Only her sunlight had been in the form of a contentious, brash, infuriating woman who never ceased to amaze and charm her every time she turned around.

She had thrived in that sunlight for four years. She had betrayed the Temporal Prime Directive to keep that sunlight from being extinguished, but she had lost it anyway.

She thought bitterly about the last two messages she had sent to Seven. Neither of them had been answered. From her brief conversations with other members of her former crew, she knew that the Borg was no longer with Chakotay; that romance had seemed to fizzle out almost as soon as it had begun, much to her relief.

She had always thought her First Officer was a good man with a kind heart, but he had no business being involved with Seven. Not with Seven. Seven was…

**_Was what? _** She mentally slapped herself. **_Yours?_**

But she was, wasn't she? She had seen something in the young woman when all anyone else saw was Borg. She had believed in her, nurtured her, mentored her… god damn it, she had loved her!

She had given more of herself to Seven of Nine than she had ever given to anyone else. How could she just leave like that? To just disappear like it all meant nothing…

"Enough!" Janeway growled, lunging to her feet. The mug that had been balanced on her knee fell to the porch, adding one more dent to its already scarred surface. Picking it up, she shook it violently, emptying the liquid completely as she stared up at the nearly colorless Indiana sky.

She had hoped it would be fall when they returned. She had been almost desperate in her desire to hear the rain beating softly against the old wooden shingles of the farmhouse. Or better yet, to hide out in the barn and listen to it thrum against the tin siding that made up the roof of the structure.

But it was mid summer. One of the hottest on record and the dry heat filled her with an arid melancholy that she couldn't seem to shake. It was even worse that her mother was in Paris at Phoebe's gallery opening. She could have gone with them, but the thought of being surrounded by so many people she didn't know and didn't care to… well, she just didn't have it in her to be charming right now.

So the house was empty. Just like the sky. Just like her heart.

With a heavy sigh, she turned and went inside.

* * *

Kathryn sat in the living room, trying to read as the sunlight shining through the window began to fade. She had traded the mug of coffee for several glasses of wine, but they hadn't helped to still either her restless mind or her wounded heart.

And Emily Dickinson wasn't helping either.

With a groan of frustration she threw the book on the table and dropped her head into her hands.

"What the hell am I going to do?" She whispered, her shoulders beginning to shake as tears quietly slid down her face.

When she pulled her hands away again, it was to notice that the room had become quite dark, much more so than it should have been for that time of evening. She stood to go to the window when a flash of light crackled just outside, followed by an intense rumbling that she felt in the pit of her stomach.

Running to the door, she threw it open and gasped at the dark clouds that had settled over the recently bright sky. As she watched, large fat drops of rain began to fall, shaking the dust up from the dried ground as the earth drank them in greedily.

Her heart opening in wonder, she stepped outside and felt the electricity of the building storm as it picked up speed, the rain pelting down hard and quick as she turned her face upwards to be drenched by the warm waters of an uncharacteristic summer shower.

Laughing despite herself, she ran out into the yard, spinning in circles as the torrent poured down, soaking her to the bone in a matter of seconds.

It felt glorious.

For the first time since she had returned home, she truly felt like she was a part of this place again. She felt the rain wash away the anger and the bitterness, felt it cut through her like the blade of a knife, excising the darkness that had taken up residence in her soul.

This was life! She laughed. This was what she wanted, what she needed.

A new beginning.

And it could be, if she let it.

There were no more protocols, making her hide her joy behind a mask of dignity and duty, no more principles to hold her back from going after what she wanted.

She had wasted so much time, sitting here for months hating how things had turned out and never once considered that all she had to do… was change them.

All she had to do was find her… and speak.

Maybe nothing would change, maybe Seven wouldn't or couldn't return the love she felt for her, but it wouldn't be from her lack of trying. She didn't have to be a prisoner to the uniform she had loved so dearly.

Not anymore.

Joyously, she ran to the barn, throwing the doors open wide to listen to the hollow echo of the rain as it fell against the roof.

But she didn't go inside.

The warm water felt too good against her face, against her body, on her skin.

Instead she sat down, right in a large puddle, laughing to herself as she leaned back on her elbows.

She knew how she would look to anyone who might pass by. They would point and whisper that the famous Captain had finally gone 'round the bend. But she honestly just didn't give a damn.

Some time later she stood up stiffly. She couldn't tell what time it was, the cloud cover was hiding the moon and the rain hid the sounds of the loons that called late in the evening. All she knew was that she had been sitting there for quite some time, smiling contentedly to herself.

And it was enough.

She turned to head back to the house and stopped dead in her tracks.

Someone was standing just at the bottom of the porch stairs, watching her. Whoever it was had to have been there for quite some time as they looked just as drenched as she was.

As she stood staring, the person began to move closer and suddenly her heart caught in her chest.

The clothes were unfamiliar, but the walk… she would know that walk anywhere.

"Seven?" She called.

The Borg did not answer until she was less than a foot away. The blonde head came up and the blue eyes flashed a fire at her that she felt all the way to her toes. "Captain."

"Seven!" Janeway grabbed her and held her close, feeling the taller woman shiver slightly in her arms. "You're soaked."

"As are you."

She looked at the Borg more closely and saw that she was not just wearing an overcoat, but jeans and a black button down shirt as well. "Where is your biosuit? You must be freezing!"

Seven did not answer she merely stared at the smaller woman with a look akin to wonder on her face.

"Come here." Kathryn grabbed her by the arm and led her into the barn, pulling the doors shut behind them. She led her over to an old wood burning stove which she fired up with an easy grace. Grabbing a clean horse blanket from one of the shelves she pulled off the blonde's overcoat. "Get out of those things or you'll catch your death."

Again, Seven merely looked at her, but offered no resistance as the older woman quickly stripped her down to her undergarments and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, looking at her in concern when she realized that the younger woman's teeth were chattering.

"What on earth were you doing standing out in the rain?" She demanded.

"Watching you."

"Watching me?" Kathryn blinked. "Watching me do what?"

"I am uncertain." The Borg blushed slightly. "But it was… remarkable."

The older woman grinned. "Remarkable? Watching an old fool playing in a puddle?"

"You are neither old, nor a fool." The blue eyes burned into her intensely and Kathryn swallowed.

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you."

Kathryn frowned. "Was I lost?"

"To me, yes." Seven pulled the blanket around her more tightly. "I have been trying to find you for the last two months. Starfleet… was not helpful. It seems that they were not willing to give the location of an individual as important as you to someone who posed such an obvious threat."

"But I sent you letters…"

The Borg's head shot up. "You did?" Something tender seemed to flash across her features for a moment and then was gone so quickly Kathryn thought she might have imagined it. "I did not receive them."

"You couldn't locate me through one of the crew?"

"I was not allowed access to their locations either."

"I don't understand…" The older woman stripped off her wet shirt and slacks and pulled another blanket around her own shoulders. "With your abilities you could have broken into Starfleet's databases easily."

Seven frowned. "And prove their misconceptions of me to be true?"

Kathryn nodded slowly. "Then how did you find me?"

The Borg seemed to flush slightly. "I went to Paris."

"You looked up Phoebe?" Her eyes widened.

"Yes. As she is not military personnel her records were not sealed to me. I found the gallery that is showing her artwork and spoke to her… and your mother."

"My mother…" Kathryn sat down on a bench and pulled the blonde down next to her. "Ok. When was this?"

"This afternoon. When they informed me that you were staying here at your family's farmhouse, I transported in immediately."

The redhead stared at her in amazement. "Why?"

Seven looked down at the ground, then away into the fire burning merrily in the stove. Finally Kathryn reached out and took her by the chin, turning her face so she could look into her eyes. "Why?"

The Borg took a deep breath. "Because it did not end when we returned to Earth."

"What didn't end?"

"Any of it." The blonde's voice was very small, her eyes full of tears. "I had thought that when our voyage ended, the necessity of having you in my life would also end. And that even if it did not, it would be something I would have to learn to live without; that you would want your own life, away from us, away from… me." She swallowed. "But the need did not lessen. It became greater. I found that I… missed your presence."

"You needed my help." Kathryn said softly.

"No!" Seven stared directly into her eyes. "I did not need you to mentor me, or to teach me anything further about humanity. I needed you…"

"You needed me…" Janeway pressed gently. "Go on."

"That is all. I have no other words with which to describe the emptiness I felt in your absence. I needed you."

Kathryn felt her heart swell painfully. She placed both of her hands on the young woman's face. "I need you too."

The young woman stared at her hopefully, as if she was unsure whether or not to trust what she had just heard. "You… do?"

"Yes I do." Kathryn laughed. "Very much." She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Seven I have been very foolish. When we made it home, I let go of more than just my command of Voyager. I let go of everything, except my command mask. I brought that back here with me. I let myself hang on to all the old arguments and reasons I had for never getting close to people on board the ship, even though I know that it didn't work then and it still doesn't work now. I have missed our family every day. I let myself believe that you had all moved on and that I was just a part of your past. I let myself get bitter. I let myself get old." She smiled. "And then it rained."

"And the rain is somehow significant?"

"Yes it is." She took Seven's hands in her own. "When I was a girl, I used to love to play in the rain, to dance in it. I always felt as though it renewed me. It made me feel as though anything were possible. When it rained tonight, it was like a message for me to get over myself, to stop hanging on to all of the reasons I had for not truly living, for not going after the things I wanted… the things I needed."

"I am one of those things?" Seven asked, wonder in her voice.

"You are every one of those things." A loud crash of thunder came from outside and the rain intensified; slamming into the tin roof as though the skies had opened above them. She noticed the younger woman had begun to shiver again and pulled the blanket from her own shoulders, laying it over the sweet smelling hay that covered the barn floor. "Lay down."

Seven blinked in confusion.

"We're going to have to stay here for a while and you're freezing. If we lay down together we can keep each other warm."

Slowly, the Borg stood and allowed Kathryn to pull the blanket from her shoulders. The older woman tried not to stare at the sight before her.

Seven's undergarments consisted of a white tank top and a small wisp of scalloped lace around her hips. Her hair was still damp and it hung around her face, clinging to her shoulders lovingly as she gracefully sank to the floor. Swallowing, Kathryn lay down beside her, pulling the other blanket over them both before wrapping her arms and legs around the shivering form beside her. She heard the blonde take in a sharp breath and felt her heart thudding hard within her chest, matching her own as strong arms wrapped snugly behind her back.

"Better?" She whispered into the leonine neck.

Seven didn't answer.

Kathryn pulled her head back and looked into pale blue eyes that seemed slightly unfocused. "Seven?"

"Kathryn…"

Her name whispered in Seven's voice burned through her like fire. Unable to stop herself, she covered the blonde's mouth with her own, drinking in the small gasp that escaped from her parted lips.

The kiss was slow and sensuous, and when her tongue reached out to caress Seven's lips, they parted further to allow her inside. She tasted so sweet, like nothing she had ever experienced before and Kathryn thought she might pass out from the rate at which her heart was beating. She realized the younger woman's body was shaking uncontrollably and pulled away.

"Seven? Are you still cold?"

"No, Kathryn." The Borg reached up and touched her lips softly. "I am warm. I am very, very warm."

"Do you want me to stop?"

"No!" She slid her fingers into her hair and pulled her close, pressing their lips together in another heart melting kiss.

Seven's scent surrounded her, warm and sweet and Kathryn felt herself getting lost in it. Her hands slid down the small of Seven's back to curve around her hips and up over her abdomen where she traced the bands of an implant gently, relishing the small shudders of pleasure it elicited from the woman beside her. Carefully, she rolled them over until she lay fully on top of Seven. The Borg's legs parted naturally to allow Kathryn's thigh to fit snugly between them.

Seven gasped when the firm muscle came in contact with her intimate flesh, barely covered as it was with the silk lace. She felt the area flood with moisture as her hips surged up into the contact.

Kathryn moaned as Seven began to rub against her. Slowly, she allowed her fingers to trail up the smooth skin of the younger woman's chest until they met the soft swells of her breasts. Her palm slid languidly over one nipple and she drank in Seven's muffled cry with her mouth before sliding her lips down to bite lightly at the pulse that fluttered wildly in the blonde's throat.

"Kathryn…" Seven whispered breathlessly. "What are you doing to me…"

The older woman's fingers closed firmly over her nipple as she answered. "I'm loving you."

Then there were no more words as Kathryn pulled the tank top over her head, exposing her breasts to fire warmed air. She watched in fascination as they pebbled before her eyes, becoming stiff peaks that she had to taste with her lips. Slowly she covered one with her mouth, reveling in the small cries of ecstasy it drew from the younger woman. Biting gently on one, she continued to tease the other with her fingertips and felt the Borg's long slender fingers curl tightly into her hair, holding her firmly against her chest. The skin of her thigh was becoming slick through the silk that separated her from Seven's center, driving her crazy with desire.

Slowly, she slid her hand down the younger woman's stomach, easing her fingers underneath the thin band of lace to play lightly in the moist curls she found there before sliding between the wet folds.

Seven's breathing stopped as she found the engorged ridge of her sex, and she stopped briefly to whisper, "Seven…Seven, look at me."

The Borg opened her eyes to gaze at her dazedly.

"You need to breath." Kathryn smiled.

Seven drew in a long shuddering breath. "I will…attempt… to comply."

Kathryn laughed softly as her fingers continued their exploration, lovingly caressing the bundle of nerves at the top of her cleft.

Seven whimpered as waves of feeling washed over her. All of the research she had done into human sexuality had not prepared her for the actual experience of this moment. She found her great intellect no help in separating the multitudes of emotions and sensations her body was going through. The pleasure was too intense and her body would not obey her minds instructions to slow down and allow her to process them. Instead it increased its tempo, writhing furiously beneath the smaller woman's ministrations as she felt herself moving towards the edge of some great precipice, some huge moment of exquisiteness that Kathryn was creating with nothing more than her fingers and her lips. She felt the smaller woman begin to slide further down her body, felt the lace begin pulled down and off her body and then she felt those lips, those soft, all consuming lips, close over the swollen nerves where her fingers had just been. Her hips began to buck wildly as Kathryn's soft gentle tongue reached out to caress her, sending her crashing over the edge, her mind in chaos as her body shook with pure ecstasy.

Kathryn drank in the taste of her young lover greedily. Her essence was sweet and clean, almost like the rain, and it bathed her face as they danced together this time.

It was almost with regret that she felt Seven climax, felt her body stiffen and then shake uncontrollably. Sliding back up, she wrapped her arms and legs around the younger woman, whispering to her soothingly as she kissed the tears from her cheeks.

Long moments passed as Seven's body slowly relaxed in her embrace. "Kathryn…" She whispered. "That was… phenomenal."

The older woman smiled, kissing the pulse that still beat wildly in her lover's throat. "I thought it was pretty nice myself." She ran her fingertip across Seven's lips. "I love you, you know."

Seven looked down at her in surprise. "You do?"

"Yes I do. I have for quite a while."

The Borg held her tightly. "I love you as well." She kissed the top of her Captain's head. "What happens now?"

Kathryn Janeway smiled. "Oh, I'm sure we'll figure it out. It looks like it's going to be raining for quite some time."


End file.
